BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria and the world will be a better society with people building bridges across religions and their ethnic nationalities.
He said being a country with different ethnic nationalities and dominant Muslim and Christian populations, “We have to find ways of actively disseminating to our people here, and in Africa in particular, the importance of building bridges across religion and ethnic nationalities.”
According to him; “It has become clear to us that we must find different ways in building bridges, especially between the faith and ethnic nationalities.
“And one of the critical things that our faith teaches is that, regardless of what the situation may be, we must love even our enemies and pray for them.”
A statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, in Abuja, said Vice President Osinbajo made the call on Tuesday when a delegation from US-based Bridgeway Community Church visited the Presidential Villa.
Led by its founder and Senior Pastor, Dr David Anderson, the visitors met Prof Osinbajo alongside a team from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission that had its Executive Secretary, Dr Sule Bassi as the leader.
Prof Osinbajo said; “The future for society, in my view, relies on our ability to build bridges and to ensure that those bridges are firm and we can walk across it and interact with each other.”
Speaking during the visit, Dr Anderson said it is also important to build bridges between Africans and African-Americans, adding that he was inspired to build a Diaspora Palace, Hotel and Resort in Badagry, Lagos.
He said the project is meant to ensure that “when people come back from the Diaspora, wherever they are, they would no longer just come to the Point of No Return, but they would walk through the Door of Return; and that they would be accepted as royalty.”
Pastor Anderson, who noted that several African-Americans desired to be identified as Africans, said work is ongoing with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Foreign Affairs and Information ministries, towards realising this noble objective through the `Door of Return initiative.’
Similarly, Executive Secretary of Diaspora Commission, Dr Bassi said among other objectives, the ‘Door of Return initiative’, aim at advancing exchange of economic cooperation and direct investment between Nigerians and the Diaspora, particularly as in relations to tourism and sustainable development in the country.
